Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the SailNet Community forums, you must first register. Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.Please note: After entering 3 characters a list of Usernames already in use will appear and the list will disappear once a valid Username is entered.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on).

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Click here to view the posting rules you are bound to when clicking the'Submit Reply' button below

Topic Review (Newest First)

08-20-2015 09:59 AM

arvicola-amphibius

Re: Mast (Climbing)- No Halyards

My current boat has a 34 foot mast of fairly heavy section material. It came with mast steps already fitted, obviously done properly by the spar maker. They are the greatest convenience since sliced bread. I can be at the top of the mast in under a minute, though I do take a little longer because I always go aloft with a safety harness and take a couple of turns around the mast with a strap which has to be unclipped and re-clipped as I pass the spreaders. Once at the position where I need to work I hang off the harness with my feet securely in the steps. With a second strap around the mast - just in case.

Other than windage which would not be acceptable to a pure racer, the only downside is that the main halliard can sometimes catch around one of the steps. I have learned to watch for this as I hoist the main.

When you do bite the bullet and unstep the mast, it may be worth having a pro fit proper steps. NOT with self tappers! Rivets would be the way to go. Depending on the cost, they could pay for themselves if you don't have a need to unstep annually.

Re unstepping, I am of the school who avoids it because I am too cheap to hire a crane. The mast is stepped on deck which made the following a bit easier, but it could be done with any mast:
Recently I found about two inches at the heel was corroded. The previous owner had used brass rivets into aluminium, but only in this one place. The solution was to slack the rigging off but not uncouple the turnbuckles, and double up with extra rope to deck cleats etc to stabilise it. Then we placed some spreaders on the deck and used a high lift ratchet jack under the spinnaker pole fitting to lift the mast up enough to get in and slice out the corroded bottom two inches. The plug at the heel was removed and cleaned up and repainted, as was the getting rid of the corrosion at the base of the mast. Then the mast was dropped back on to the heel fitting and refixed with alloy rivets. Now the mast is two inches shorter, and raked back slightly as I did not want to change the forestay length due to the self furler. But this has not resulted in any excessive weather helm (which I thought could be the outcome) and I feel so much better about getting rid of the corrosion at minimal cost.

08-10-2015 08:00 AM

capt jgwinks

Re: Mast (Climbing)- No Halyards

I kind of chuckle a little when I read these posts where people are willing to do almost anything to avoid unstepping the mast. Really, it's not that big a deal. Up here in snow land, the boats come out of the water for six months every year, and some of the marina's don't even allow storing with the mast up of you're on jack stands. Some even have low power lines between the storage area and launch well. Many masts are unstepped every year, I try to do mine every couple of years. It's better for the mast and boat, and makes inspection and maintenance much easier. The marina I store at has a tall gin pole (hand cranked crane) that we use and it's free if we do it ourselves. Takes about half an hour for three people, and we could do it with two if we didn't have a jib furler.

08-09-2015 08:49 PM

minigran

Re: Mast (Climbing)- No Halyards

Guys, at 69 I can't afford to fall, not enough time left to heal. I go aloft in a Boson Chair, Safety harness, ATM Mast climber, Main Halyard hooked to the Bosom Chair upper D ring and a safety line around the mast and hooked to the safety harness. Climber running up the Jib Halyard and a safety line preventing swing. Assistant on winch to take up slack and help my legs and a tail handler to watch my progress. I'm 189 lbs and even after 11 years of football and coaching 1/2 my life my legs are not strong enough to climb with out the winch assistance. "Old but not dead yet" remember safety first and not if but when it happens as quoted by Don Cassey.

05-16-2015 07:38 AM

tanzertom

Every two years is way too often given your attitude and worthless opinion.

Mike sell your boat. You have no business being on the water with ideas like this. Trust me, I've been teaching sailing part time for over 40 years. People with clueless ideas like this are a danger to themselves and others. Get and RV and be safe.

For any real sailors out there. Try using a couple pieces of thin strong line and make loops and attach them to a thick rope halyard with prussic knots. It works but is a bit slow. I've done it. Ascenders might be better but at a higher cost. A mast mate works, although I've never used one. None of this works without a halyard and of course a second one for a safety.

Night...... How do you feel about someone who quotes an 18 month old post and repeats advice given already?

05-29-2012 08:27 AM

Bene505

Re: Mast (Climbing)- No Halyards

If I ever lose all halyards at once, I plan to us a couple lines, each wrapped around the mast 4 or more times, with some slack in the final loop. Then I'll use each of those as prusic knots, sliding them up one at a time, and letting them support the chair and foot loops on my TopClimber.

(I use this technique when installing my main sail solo. The top sliders go into the track first, which means I'm lifting significant weight while fiddling with getting the final sliders/cars inserted. The mast loops -- tied around the mast below the lowest inserted slider/car -- relieve the weight and make the job easy. Think of this as separating the act of lifting from the act of inserting the sliders/cars. It becomes a casual activity instead.)

Ascending the mast this way would be slow going, and I'd need to re-tie new loops after each spreader, but it would work, slowly. It would probably take 3 hours to ascend.

My lawyer just called. This is too dangerous, don't do any of this. Hire a professional rigger. They could use the work and they know what they are doing. And you'll likely get some hints on any obvious issues.

Regards,
Brad

05-28-2012 01:19 AM

Lake Superior Sailor

Re: Mast (Climbing)- No Halyards

Mike, glad to see you found sailnet! {Night Sailor;maybe you should curb your opinons!} Sailing is a lesson we are always learning--Enjoy!...Dale

Hi all,
Glad to have found this group and am new here. Actually new to the whole
sailing thing.
Purchased our 72 26 MKII in April and had a great summer on it, motored
everywhere since we can not raise the sails because both halyards are done. I
believe the jib block is there but nothing for the main sail. Any ideas on how
to climb the mast?
Wondering if those metal shelf brackets that you can get at home depot would
work if you could somehow use self tapping screws to make a ladder to the top of
the mast? Would it be strong enough? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Also spent the day clearing out all belongings, getting ready for a refit and
look forward to using some of the ideas I have seen in this group.
Thanks

Mike

Mike sell your boat. You have no business being on the water with ideas like this. Trust me, I've been teaching sailing part time for over 40 years. People with clueless ideas like this are a danger to themselves and others. Get and RV and be safe.

For any real sailors out there. Try using a couple pieces of thin strong line and make loops and attach them to a thick rope halyard with prussic knots. It works but is a bit slow. I've done it. Ascenders might be better but at a higher cost. A mast mate works, although I've never used one. None of this works without a halyard and of course a second one for a safety.

This thread has more than 10 replies.
Click here to review the whole thread.